Quaker Valley boys refocus for PIAA tournament run

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, November 13, 2017 | 10:49 PM

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Shady Side Academy sent Quaker Valley a wake-up call with 3-2 upset win in double overtime in the WPIAL Class AA boys soccer final.

It was a message the Quakers heard loud and clear. They responded with a pair of victories to open the PIAA tournament.

“I think that loss showed a lot about what we need to work on and some things we're definitely good at. It was a very emotional game,” Quaker Valley senior Landon Grant said. “I think the trainings that followed that loss were very important, and they were probably the best we had all season. Coach was deliberately on us about getting our mindset right and doing the small things right. We're very focused and determined. It's almost like we have a new opportunity with states starting.”

Quaker Valley beat Shady Side Academy for last year's WPIAL title. The Quakers edged the Indians again in the PIAA semifinal. A 1-0 loss to Lewisburg in the championship ended their season and left them hungry for a return trip this fall.

Quaker Valley (21-2) took its first two steps with wins over St. Marys and Beaver.

“I think, after that WPIAL game, it brought out a different gear in us. I think we know we need to do a little more to go the extra distance. We have to give the extra effort and be smarter,” Grant said. “Some of the things we're doing in games were more individual; we need to focus on what we can do to open up areas for a teammate or ways to set up teammate. I think we had gotten away from that a little. It's something we've really improved on in this tournament.”

The Quakers cruised past the Flying Dutchmen, 8-0, to begin PIAA play. Sophomore Franky Fernandez scored five goals. Ian Rodgers, Caleb Bender and Thomas David added goals.

“It was more just us getting back to the basics. I think maybe we were trying to do too much. We were getting away from our game plan we had as a team,” said Grant, who had two assists. “Coach focused us on doing our individual roles that benefited everyone. Everyone was doing the right things that day, and it opened up different spaces and things. It was a good way to bounce back.”

That set up a quarterfinal matchup against Beaver on Saturday. Quaker Valley overcame a 1-0 deficit in the second half for a 2-1 win. It was the Quakers' fourth win over the Bobcats this year — twice in Section 4 action as well as a WPIAL semifinal decision.

“That was kind of the challenging thing. They've seen us so many times the last two years that they kind of know what to expect from us,” Grant said. “It was tough to draw up a game plan. We just stuck to what we know how to do well and tried to do it consistently against a team like that.”

Grant scored both goals in the latest clash. His backdoor tap-in with 11:43 left provided the equalizer. He scored the winner off a breakaway with 1:05 remaining.

“Before we even scored our first goal, I was thinking this could be the end of my high school career. I told the guys that we had to give everything because this cannot be the end,” Grant said. “Once we scored, I really didn't want to go to overtime because I felt the momentum going our way. It felt really good to get that second one.

“It was tough. Things weren't going our way. I think that Beaver side just knows us so well, and they know how to defend us. I knew, if we kept doing what we were capable of doing, something was going to fall for us.”

It set up a PIAA semifinal battle against Oley Valley, which blanked Shady Side Academy, 1-0. The game was scheduled for Tuesday, after deadline for this edition. Even though it was an unfamiliar opponent, the Quakers wanted to focus on themselves.

“We just need to play our best soccer. Our biggest challenge is whether we'll play our best game,” Grant said before the game. “Regardless of what's on the scoreboard, we want to play at the highest level we know we can.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.